Tigers vs Guardians Predictions: Cleveland Slumping at Wrong Time
Guardians Welcome Detroit For Four Games

The Detroit Tigers (49-51) look to improve their slim playoff hopes when they visit the Cleveland Guardians (59-39) beginning Monday for four games. Detroit has won seven of its last 10 games, but are still 6.0 games out in the wild card standings. The Guardians led Minnesota and Kansas City by 5.0 games in the division, but are just 3-7 over the last 10 games. The Tigers vs Guardians predictions show Tarik Skubal and Carlos Carrasco as the scheduled starters for the series opener. Detroit is -115 and the total is 7.5-under (-120).
The Tigers are No. 24 in team batting average and No. 28 in on-base percentage, but are scoring 4.3 runs per game. Detroit is No. 18 in home runs, so a little worse than average.
The Tigers are No. 14 in team ERA, but have just 22 saves in 40 attempts. If the relievers were doing their job, the Tigers would be a little closer to a playoff spot. Detroit ranks No. 18 in bullpen ERA and is going to need better production. There are some injuries to the rotation.
Cleveland is No. 17 in team batting average and No. 14 in home runs, so pretty close to average there. The one thing the Guardians do well, however, is score runs. Cleveland is averaging 4.8 runs per game on the season, which is .4 runs higher than the league average of 4.4 runs per game.
The pitching staff has been solid, ranking No. 5 in team ERA. The Guardians have 34 saves in 46 attempts and the bullpen ranks No. 1 in bullpen ERA. Cleveland has one of the best pitching staffs in the game, according to the MLB power rankings. If the games are close, there’s a good chance Cleveland is going to pull out the win.
Monday’s Game
Skubal has pitched great for the Tigers, going 10-3 with a 2.41 ERA. Detroit is 12-7 when he starts. Skubal has come down to earth a little bit, with Detroit losing three of his last five starts. The Tigers are 10-1 when scoring at least four runs for Skubal.
Carrasco has struggled much of the season and is 3-7 with a 5.02 ERA. The Guardians are 7-10 with Carrasco on the mound and 6-1 when scoring at least four runs for him. Cleveland has scored a total of four runs in Carrasco’s last five losing starts.
The Guardians have thrived against left-handed pitchers this season. Cleveland is 20-6 and is scoring 5.6 runs per game. Given that, along with Cleveland’s strong home record, will have to go against the betting public and take the Guardians to end up on the right side of the MLB scores today.
Tuesday’s Game
Detroit is undecided regarding its starting pitcher in this game. The Tigers will likely move Kenta Maeda back into the starting rotation and he could go here. Detroit is without Casey Mize, Reese Olsen and Matt Manning. That leaves just three starters and the Tigers plan to trade Jack Flaherty before the end of the month. Skubal and Kieder Montero are the remaining starters.
The Guardians plan to start Xzavion Curry, who started three games early in the year and has a couple of relief appearances. As a starter, he had mixed results. His season numbers show an 0-2 record and a 5.19 ERA. He could be slight better than that.
It’s hard to make any MLB predictions today with the Tiger rotation in a bit of a mess. Maeda is 2-5 with a 7.07 ERA, but the Tigers may not have any other options. Curry may not be a bad wager if the odds are reasonable.
Wednesday’s Game
Flaherty could be making his last start for the Tigers in this one. He’s 7-5 with a 3.13 ERA, so he’ll fetch a decent price near the trade deadline. Detroit is 10-7 when he starts. It wouldn’t be a complete shock if he gets pulled early to reduce the chances of an injury.
The Tigers vs Guardians predictions show Cleveland is scheduled to start Tanner Bibee, who is 8-4 with a 3.58 ERA. Cleveland is 15-5 when Bibee starts and 7-3 when he starts at home.
Bibee is going to be a strong favorite in this game, but Cleveland is really the only way to go in this one.
Thursday’s Game
Detroit is in trouble regarding its starting pitcher in this one. It’s unlikely Montero will start on three days rest, so it’s either a bullpen game or a minor league callup. If Maeda doesn’t start Tuesday, it’s likely he takes the mound in this one.
The Tigers vs Guardians predictions are showing Gavin Williams as the scheduled starter for Cleveland. Williams has made four starts this season and is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA. The Guardians are 1-3 when he starts. He’s had two good starts and two poor ones. He dropped a 1-0 decision to Montero at Detroit earlier in the month.
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